Another lawsuit has been filed in the ongoing controversy in the Ashland Police Department where at least three officers have been discharged or put on leave over reports of wrongdoing among the force.
The latest lawsuit was filed Tuesday by former Ashland Police Sgt. Andrew Worrall. His lawyer submitted a petition against the city of Ashland claiming he was wrongfully terminated after making a whistleblowing complaint against another officer.
In July 2023, Worrall and two other officers drafted a memorandum to the city alleging that then-Chief of Police Gabe Edwards had engaged in “unethical, unlawful, and discriminatory conduct that was tearing the APD apart.” The letter accused Edwards of “violating state law, abusing his authority and mismanaging the police department.”
Edwards was placed on leave three days later. Tom Whitener, one of the three officers who drafted the memo, was then placed on leave “pending a psychological fitness for duty exam.” Whitener sued the city the following October, claiming he was wrongfully terminated after accusing the police chief of alleged misconduct.
While Edwards was being investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, another Ashland police officer named Tracey Cleeton made allegations against all three whistleblowers and accused Whitener of unstable behavior.
According to Worrall’s petition, he sent a memorandum nearly two years later to now-Ashland Police Chief Scott Young alleging that Cleeton “deliberately lied” about Whitener’s conduct. He also told Young that his concerns would prompt him to inform the Boone County prosecutor if the matter was not addressed.
Four days later in July, Worrall was placed on leave. His petition is asking for damages, litigation costs and reasonable attorney’s fees in his petition, as well as a jury trial.
